Lions have painfully obvious roster move to make after Hall of Fame game

The Detroit Lions have one preseason game under their belt, with the team dropping the Hall of Fame game against the Los Angeles Chargers. The secondary had their struggles defensively, and special teams certainly had a moment they immediately wanted back to kick off the season, but it was the quarterback play that stuck out the most for Lions fans who were promised a fun QB2 battle between Kyle Allen and Hendon Hooker.

Allen sailed multiple passes in the first half of the contest, threw two interceptions, and generally just didn't look settled into a rhythm on offense for Detroit. Hooker, who took over from Allen in the second half, had next to no time to pass behind the offensive line. He also threw for no touchdowns, relying on his legs to make plays.

With almost zero offense generated by either quarterback, one thing made itself very clear in the very first game of the Lions' season: Detroit has a backup quarterback problem they still need to solve, and the answer wasn't on the field on Thursday night.

Lions have a QB2 problem

Detroit needs to see much more from one of Allen or Hooker in their second preseason matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. That's an obvious statement. Without either one producing anything promising for an entire preseason, the Lions could be in some serious trouble if they imagine a scenario where Jared Goff goes down in a game. Teddy Bridgewater is not walking through that door.

Of course, it's far too soon to write either off. Communication issues, some reporters shared on social media during the game, have been present between the offense during training camp and the sidelines. Those were evident during Hooker's reps especially, with a timeout called to prevent a delay of game penalty which led to a 4 and out possession.

READ MORE: It's only the Hall of Fame Game but one Lions veteran looks expendable

There existed a market for Hooker prior to this contest. He had been linked to teams like the Chicago Bears and New York Jets for obvious, coach related reasons. Those suitors would have made sense if Hooker hadn't slightly tanked his stock during the Hall of Fame Game by looking out of sorts in the pocket under pressure.

However, the Lions still would need reliable backup quarterback play, and the team need to be getting someone back to replace Hooker's role if they're willing to go through with a transaction like that. Malik Willis from the Green Bay Packers or Taylor Heinicke with the Los Angeles Chargers could be worth a look if Allen, Hooker, or both do not pan out through these preseason reps.

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